Ransomware groups are continuing to grow in “sophistication, boldness, and volume”, according to a new report on cyber security, with numbers up across the board since the second quarter of the year.
The Ransomware Index Spotlight Report, a collaboration between Ivanti, Cyber Security Works, and Cyware (a threat intelligence firm), discovered a 4.5 percent increase in Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in ransomware, a 4.5 percent increase in actively exploited and trending vulnerabilities, a 3.4 percent increase in ransomware families, and a 1.2 percent increase in older vulnerabilities tied to ransomware when compared to the first quarter.
In Q3 2021, the report uncovered 12 new ransomware-related vulnerabilities, bringing the total number of ransomware-related vulnerabilities to 278.
Five of the 12 new vulnerabilities linked to ransomware are capable of remote code execution attacks, while the other two are capable to exploit web applications and being manipulated to launch Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.
Ransomware groups are also employing newer, more sophisticated techniques in attacks, such as dropper-as-a-service and trojan-as-a-service, according to the research. Dropper-as-a-service enables inexperienced threat actors to spread malware using programs that, when run, execute a malicious payload on a victim’s computer. Trojan-as-a-service, also known as malware-as-a-service, allows anyone with an internet connection to obtain and deploy customized malware in the cloud without having to install anything.